The present invention is directed to a new and useful detachable protective device for hockey sticks.
There have been numerous attempts to add reinforcement to the blade of a hockey stick. For ii example, tape applied to the hockey stick has been widely used to lengthen the life of a hockey stick. Plastic sleeves taped to the hockey stick have also been used. Additionally, there have been previous attempts to reinforce the stick itself by means of permanent attachments to the blade including a textile tubing slipped over the blade after which a resinous coat is applied over the tubing incorporating it permanently to the blade. Further attempts at reinforcement include using glass fiber material impregnated with a resin plastic applied to the blade and becoming a permanent part of the blade.
A problem with using tape to reinforce the blade portion of a hockey stick has been that tape is time consuming and difficult to apply. Also, tape has little aesthetic value and tape allows water to wick or be absorbed into the hockey stick causing damage to the stick reducing the usability of the stick. The plastic, fiberglass, and textile products are costly, difficult to apply to the hockey blade, "deaden" the puck requiring more force to catapult the puck along, and lessen the control over the puck.
While these prior devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as described herein.